The Deputy Minister of Analysis, Innovation and Digital Coverage, Nikodimos Damianou, who participated at this time in a gathering of the Parliamentary Audit Committee, expressed the will to deal with and get rid of the weaknesses and issues which were recognized in a number of public contracts. The Auditor Common, for his half, criticized the direct assignments in the course of the session, talking of “a gangrene” and “a discipline of corruption and entanglement”.
The Committee examined problems with the preparatory work for public tenders for software program programs, following a proposal by the MP of the Environmental Motion, signed by Zacharias Koulias, Irini Charalambidou and Stavros Papadouris.
Previously, the Fee had been involved with instances of public contracts for the event of programs, which finally didn’t succeed, such because the case of the e-justice system, but in addition the case of the system of registration with the Registrar of Firms and the system of the Common Accounting Workplace, which it talked about as Typical examples are the President of the Committee and MP of DIKO, Zacharias Koulias.
“Now we have listened to the issues and solutions of the members of the Fee”, famous the Deputy Minister in his statements after the assembly, including that the Deputy Ministry acknowledges this concern as essential, within the context of the implementation of profitable IT tasks.
He famous that on this path, a venture which was scheduled to start out in 2025, will now begin in collaboration with and below the supervision of the Public Procurement Authority of the Common Accounting Workplace. The aim of this venture is “to the touch upon the problem of tender paperwork, of coaching officers throughout the spectrum of the federal government equipment in order that they’ll correctly consider tenders and tenders embody all these standardized provisions that can guarantee to the utmost extent doable, the state”, as Mr. Damianou stated.
The Deputy Minister, talking earlier than the Committee, stated that whether or not a system will succeed begins with its selection, however can be judged by its subsequent dealing with. He significantly emphasised the significance of the time it takes to pick out and implement a system, as technological developments are transferring at nice velocity. He additionally spoke concerning the significance of the methodology adopted in the course of the improvement of a system, saying that it ought to be managed alongside the way in which, in order that it’s synchronized with any developments.
He additionally identified the issue in connecting the completely different programs to one another as an issue. He defined that every system registered till now within the public sector was remoted and didn’t have an interface with the remainder, noting that this additionally impacts the picture of the programs for the citizen. He emphasised that the programs have to be appropriate and capable of be interconnected, declaring that significance have to be given to their structural ideas and structure.
Responding to a query from DISY Member of Parliament, Rita Superman, relating to the phrases of reference and the obligations of the Deputy Ministry relating to public procurement, Mr. Damianou stated that any venture issues the Deputy Ministry, even when the tender is ready by one other division, have to be managed by the Deputy Ministry, even when it isn’t the contracting authority.
Answering a query from AKEL Member of Parliament, Irene Charalambidou, whether or not the notices are addressed to non-Cypriot corporations, the Deputy Minister stated that lately Cyprus has attracted a number of IT corporations from different international locations, to which they’ll apply for gives.
For his half, the Head of the Directorate of Public Contracts of the Common Accounting Workplace of the Republic, Filippos Katranis, attributed a number of the issues introduced to the dearth of professionalism and experience within the departments that put together tender notices and phrases of tenders.
Defending the discovering of the Deputy Minister that the time of choice and implementation of a system is necessary, Mr. Katranis famous that the aim is to cut back the time from the time a necessity is recognized till the second it’s lastly happy.
He added that as a way to enhance the method of making ready texts for the announcement of tenders for public contracts, the help of specialists from overseas was requested to work with a working group on public contracts, in collaboration with the IT Firms Affiliation. The purpose of this effort is, amongst different issues, to make sure correct communication with the contractors, by means of the tender texts, in order that there aren’t any misunderstandings and gaps.
Direct assignments of €108 million, the Audit Service discovered, the e-wallet can be checked
For his half, the Auditor Common (AG), Odysseas Michaelidis, talking in the course of the Committee assembly, said that from an audit by the Audit Service on the Deputy Ministry in 2020 on a pattern of contracts, it emerged that €108 million had been given by means of direct assignments. The GE highlighted, amongst different issues, as a major problem that the typical length of the contracts was 4 years, whereas the typical lifetime of the programs created was 14 years.
By extension, as Mr. Michaelidis defined, for every system out of the 39 examined, eight subsequent contracts have been submitted to the identical contractor for added work that was not included within the unique contract. Thus, out of the overall of €115 million associated to subsequent contracts, €108 million was given by direct award. This phenomenon, as characteristically stated by the GE “is a gangrene” and “a discipline of corruption and entanglement”.
In the course of the assembly, the Auditor Common singled out the IT Providers Division and the Public Works Division as “two very pathogenic departments”, stating that the issue is to not be discovered within the lack of expertise within the preparation of contracts. He stated that there are inherent issues within the two departments and they need to take inner measures as a result of they’ve a big portfolio and are creating issues for the state.
Mr. Michaelidis famous, throughout his intervention on the assembly, that the issues are additionally associated to the planning in the course of the announcement of the tender, attributing to dangerous planning the truth that tenders are awarded with a contract length shorter than the lifetime of the system. He additionally added that the applications ought to be designed extra accurately when they’re conceived, with an evaluation of future wants.
The Chairman of the Fee requested the Auditor Common to arrange particular person experiences of the Service, for every of the programs through which issues occurred, akin to in e-justice. For his half, the Common Secretary stated that in a few month a report on the e-wallet will likely be introduced, predisposing the members of the Fee to a “large scandal”.
There is no such thing as a query of evaluating the private and non-private sectors, stated the Deputy Minister
Answering questions from journalists after the assembly, Mr. Damianou famous that there isn’t a query of evaluating the private and non-private sectors, including that “each public sector has many challenges and rather more than these of a personal group”.
Referring to the problem of e-justice, he famous that it was clearly a failure, however underlined that “it will be significant at this second to handle the state of the system, which has entered a restore course of, in order that the Republic doesn’t lose cash from it the case and to have the ultimate outcome we need”.
When requested if the venture to be applied to enhance the content material of the tender texts, will likely be finished in time for the promotion of tasks which have already been introduced, Mr. Damianou stated that “the trouble to enhance the framework with which we seize the specs tasks and we award tenders, it isn’t the answer to all issues which will concern IT programs”
“Now we have to understand what a posh endeavor it’s to implement a system. There are numerous elements that affect and never completely the work I’ve referred to. However it’s going to assist considerably, as a result of it’s the place the collection of a system begins, to guarantee that it’s going to have the absolute best outcome”, he concluded.
Statements of Members of Parliament
The state paid too many occasions for us to have programs, however as an alternative of programs, we bought a zero one, stated in his statements after the assembly the President of the Committee and MP of DIKO, Zacharias Koulias. He famous that with at this time's dialogue it was higher understood how software program ought to be made and what safeguards ought to be given.
“We hope that along with the Division of Info Expertise that existed within the Ministry of Finance and which has 200 staff, and with the newly established Deputy Ministry, a considerable and actual work will likely be began to get these insurance coverage valves, in order that the bleeding of the various tens of millions that the state is dropping with these programs or with the exploitation of personal people, with whom we signal contracts, to be terminated, in order that once we order a system it’s productive, it’s for the aim we would like it to be and it may well really be helpful.”
“Sadly, we’re every day witnesses of an orgy scene, with tens of millions marching in entrance of us, on the expense of the general public,” stated the MP of DIPA, Alekos Trifonidis, in his statements after the assembly, including that “large sums are being misplaced that might be used for good thing about residents and society”. “As DIPA, we take into account this matter of utmost significance and we are going to assist all efforts in order that many tens of millions will not be misplaced on the expense of the general public”, Mr. Tryfonidis concluded.
Charalambos Theopeptou, Member of Parliament for the Environmental Motion and rapporteur of the problem on the Fee, stated in his statements that the management in the course of the execution of the contract additionally will depend on the standard of the texts of the tenders. He defined that one concern to contemplate is the selection of software program, stating that the primary software program used is free on the web, however authorities web sites are designed for a charge from the beginning.
He additionally touched on the problem of the interconnection of programs, which, as he stated, will now be required by the EU, declaring that this parameter have to be included within the situations of tenders. He additionally spoke concerning the want for situations relating to the safety of programs from cyber assaults.
“There’s the problem of coaching the operators who consider the gives, there’s the problem of coaching the individuals who put together the specs, there’s the problem of management by third events, in order that there aren’t any errors within the execution, there’s the problem of sustaining the programs”, famous Mr. Theofeptou. He defined that no programs evaluation had been finished within the discover for the e-justice system and no pre-work or methodology had been finished, however a discover had been ready based mostly on the texts of the Common Accounting Workplace accompanied by descriptions of courtroom and police work.
Learn additionally: Ministry of Justice: Deal with immigration, fan violence and prisons
Supply: KYPE
